Monday, October 6, 2008
Later Start than Expected
Movement for 10/6/08:
- Despite the late start and a little sluggishness upon awakening (her night was interrupted at 0400 with the need to call me and talk for awhile) she's been on her feet all day. Even so, there's been a little less walking than usual, and no walkering, yet. We decided to watch an old movie during breakfast, so instead of moving initially into the dinette then into the living room, from bathing she went straight to the living room. I gave her a choice of walkering the distance from the foyer steps to the rocker and wheeling it. Much to my relief (I was very tired) she chose the wheelchair. "I'm not sure I have it in me this morning," she said of the choice of the walker.
When she went down for a nap she was so tired she again felt that wheeling it to the foyer steps would be "best". When I gave her the choice of walking or being wheeled from the steps to the bathroom, though, she said, "Oh, I can walk that!" And, she did. - The evening proceeded exactly as Mom's earlier day; walking with environmental and me support except between the foyer steps and the rocker. I didn't ask her if she wanted to use the walker; I simply took the initiative of having the wheelchair available at the steps when she descended and at the rocker before she went to bed. I was seriously tired, frankly, and was concerned about my ability to help her if she faltered with the walker. Better luck tomorrow.
- A PT from Hospice will be arriving tomorrow to evaluate Mom's movement profile and recommend exercises for balance and leg strength. After talking to her this morning and moving her Monday appointment to Tuesday, I didn't think any more about it until: I've been keeping Mom informed about her visit since PT was suggested. I made a huge mistake, though. I told , I didn't ask. When I mentioned to Mom, as we were indulging in our usual bedside chatting as she was arising for the day, that the PT would be coming "tomorrow" and explaining the purpose, Mom sneered at the need for exercises and questioned the need for a PT at all. I didn't argue with her. She is, after all, moving well, from her perspective, and well enough, from mine. I didn't trot out my usual so-you-can-help-me-help-you argument. Instead, I suggested that we go ahead with the appointment in order to take advantage of the evaluation and, maybe, if Mom is agreeable, the exercises she might recommend. I promised her that if she was not interested in exercising, I wouldn't make her do it. I decided, also, when the PT calls pre-appointment on Tuesday, I'll confess my oversight, and let her know what Mom said and what we decided. It is becoming ever more obvious to me that it is important for Mom to make these decisions. The time is long past for me to attempt to force her to do anything, within reason, anyway, and, at this time, reason covers a huge tract of land. At any rate, we'll see how the appointment goes, whether the PT even wants to keep it once I let her know Mom's feelings in the matter. I will definitely let the PT know that this glitch was due to my oversight, not Mom's.
# posted by Gail Rae @ 19:28 email...
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